Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



0. w. BAYLEY. Breech-loading Ordnance.

Patented April 22,- 1862.

N-FEI'ERS, PHOTO llwrrnn STATES Parent rricn.

OLIVER IV. BAYLEY, OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

lMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 35,008, dated April 22, 1862.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER IV. BAYLEY, of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Breech-Loading Guns, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which I Figure l is a perspective view of a breechloading gun, showing my improvements; Fig. 2, a longitudinal vertical section of the same; Fig. 3, a view from the under side of the breech piece.

My present invention is more particularly applicable to breech-loading cannon, but may be advantageously used on small-arms. v

It consists in a peculiar construction and arrangement of the movable breech-piece, by which a tight joint is insured between the breech-piece and the barrel, and the escape of gas at this point, when the gun is discharged, is prevented and the wear of the breech-plug is compensated for.

That others skilled in the art may understand and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried it out.

In the said drawings, A is the barrel,which is secured to asuitable carriage, (here a stand, B, only is represented.) The rear end of the barrel is enlarged to accommodate two recesses, a b, which are larger than the bore 0 of the gun. The rear or larger recess, a, has cut in it a female screw, 0, a portion of which is cut away. It receives a screw, (Z, (which is also partially cut away,) on the end of the movable or swinging breech-piece, D, the two screws being so matched that when the breechpiece D is in the position shown in Fig. 2 its end will enter the recess (6, when, by revolving the breech-piece on its axis, the screw (1 enters the other screw and locks the two parts together. I am aware that this device has been previously used for looking the breechpiece to the barrel; but where the screws (Z 0 alone were depended on to make the connection tight, it did not succeed, and the wear of the screws was fatal to the integrity of a gastight joint. To compensate for this wear and to insure a gas-tight joint, I have adopted the following construction of breech-piece: A cylinder, E, is fitted and slides within the breechpiece D. It is closed at its rear end, thus forming a chamber, into which the cartridge or charge is introduced. Its forward end is turned down at e to fit the recess Z in the barrel, the axis of this chamber and that of the bore 0 of the gun' coinciding when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1. Ascrew, F, to which is attached a hand-lever, G, screws into the rear end of the breech-piece D and presses against the end of the cylinder E, so that as this screw is turned in the direction of the arrow, Fig. l, the cylinder E is thrust forwardtill its outer end binds firmly againstthe end of the barrel A, the shoulders 3 and t of the recesses a 1) receiving the shoulder 5 and the end 6 of the cylinder. The shoulders 3 and 4 may have grooves turned in them, and the parts 5 and 6 of the cylinder be made to match. The breech-piece D is withdrawn from the barrel A and is turned up into the position shown in Fig. 2 (to receive the charge) in the following manner: A heavy sleeve, H, has attached to it trunnions f, which pivot' on the frame 13, (or the gun-carriage.) The breechpiece D revolves and slides in this sleeve. A pin or screw, g, Fig. 3, passes through the under side of the sleeve and enters a slot, h, out part of it lengthwise and part around the breech-piece D. This connects the two and prevents the breech-piece from being turned in the sleeve until it has been pushed forward into its proper position. Ahand-lever, I, for revolving the breech-piece, passes through a hole, 75, made in the piece D, a littlelarger than the lever, and screws into the cylinder E. It rests on the stand B when the breech-piece is locked. The cap-nipple m screws into this 1ever, and a hole, 0, in the lever communicates fire from the percussioncap to the charge in the chamber E. The hole 2' is large enough to permit the required longitudinal movement of the cylinder E in the breech-piece D.

The following is the operation: The parts being in the position shown in Fig. 2, the charge or cartridge is introduced into the chamber E. The breech-piece is brought down into line with the barrel, pivoting on thetrunnions f, and is pushed forward into the barrel, and is then revolved by the hand-lever I a quarter-turn into the position shown in Fig. 1. This looks the two screws 0 d. The screwFis now turned by the lever G in the direction of the arrow. This, as before stated, pushes forward the cylinder E and binds its outer end The combination of the breech-pieceD with against the rear end of the barrel A, so that the cylinder E, which is moved forward after no gas can escape when the gun is discharged. the breech-piece is in place, to tighten the Some modifications of construction will be joint at the rear end of the barrel, substa11- desirable when applying my improvements to I tially in the manner described. small-arms; but these may be made without I departing from the spirit of my present invenl BAYLEY' ti on. lVitnesses:

What I claim as my invention, and desire to THos. R. ROACH,

secure by Letters Patent, is- P. E. TESCHEMACHER. 

